Pinkamenace II Society

by jmj

1:6 Time to Take Your Medicine

Chapter 6

Twilight formulated what she might put into her letter to the Princess while she waited for either the fillies to return or the mare who ran the farm to come home. She could get some good practice for making friends in here but she longed to be on her way to Hoofington. She couldn’t keep wasting time here when her assignment was there. Even under the circumstances of her unexpected arrival in Ponyville delay in her mission could only be looked over for so long. Her drive for knowledge and recognition of skill made the time waiting for this Applejack a terrible pain.

The lavender unicorn rolled onto her back and let out a sigh of annoyance. She was still in the room where she had awoke. She had met three cute fillies named Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. They had been entertaining although they had made quite the mess with their balancing act of breakfast. She stopped thinking about the letter to the Princess. She had to do something else while she waited. Maybe if she could get her mind off of waiting she could make the time go by quicker.

She spotted the mess of oatmeal still congealing on the floor and rolled off the bed to her hooves. She didn’t need to wait on this Rainbow Dash pony. She would clean it up herself. It wasn’t exactly the most fun thing she could think of but it was there to be done. Her horn glowed as she called upon her magical ability and a large wad of oatmeal floated from the floor inside a pocket of purple magic. Twilight spotted a trashcan in one of the room’s corners and it similarly became wrapped in a purple glow as it floated underneath the glob of oatmeal.

The door opened quickly and a dull blue female pegasus stumbled into the room. She looked sickly, just as the fillies had said, but Twilight wondered how the mare could be doing any sort of work in the shape she was in. Her coat was worn thin in several places and what wasn’t thin was worn and stuck together. Her mane mirrored her coat in state but the colors were different. At one time they had probably been bright and flamboyant with their multiple colors, but now they stuck together in so many places that where stripes had been were spots of colors, a regular kaleidoscope of colors completely out of place. Her cutie mark was hard to make out under the disheveled fur of her coat. It looked like some sort of rainbow coming from a white bubble.

The pegasus’ eyes shot open revealing hundreds of tiny blood vessels swelled up and straining for oxygen. They intently followed the floating oatmeal and trashcan; her mouth fell open for a moment before she spoke. “Oh no…not again! It hasn’t been so long I should be seeing things!” The pegasus barely maintained her balance, legs sliding from underneath her as she shook her head to try and clear what she took as a side effect of Sweets withdrawal.

Twilight released the oatmeal which landed with a hollow splat at the bottom of the trashcan. She watched the reaction of the off blue pegasus with interest and pity. She looked so frightened, maybe she wasn’t used to magic. Sweetie Belle was a unicorn but maybe her magic hadn’t quite kicked in yet. That could explain the reaction but Twilight thought whatever disease she had was the main reason behind it. She responded quickly, “Its okay! Its okay, I’m just using magic to clean this mess up.”

Dash visually calmed and slumped against the door, her thin frame sporting all to clearly her ribs and hips. She let out a sigh and slide down the door, resting at the bottom, one foreleg resting on her chest. “Whoo, close one. I thought I was seeing things again.” The pegasus made a weak chuckle as she finished her sentence. She looked at the unicorn and then at the mess on the floor. “This should be pretty quick. I’ve got things to do, ya’know. Why are you here anyway?”

Rainbow didn’t exactly keep up with events much lately. In fact, she only kept up with her supply of Sweets and how quickly she could go through them before Applejack would bring her another batch. Lately she had been running out long before Applejack could bring her more. This unicorn, however, didn’t seem like the type to be associating with Applejack. She had a calm and innocent appearance. Her eyes didn’t dart away or glare when you looked into them. She was different than the ponies of Ponyville. She didn’t belong here.

Twilight walked over to the pegasus gasping at the condition of her wings. Wings were the pride of any flying pony and this one’s looked ragged, like they had fallen off and a foal had glued them back together; many feathers were missing but worse still were the few that clung to life. Frayed, loose, and dying they were barely even called feathers. Twilight couldn’t let the poor mare clean anything up. She needed rest and serious medical treatment. How could anypony let this poor thing work in her state?

“You’re not cleaning anything. You really need to rest. You look like you could just fall over any second. Why are you working in such condition? Come on, I’ll help you to the bed.” Falling to her knees and dipping her head underneath the foreleg of the pegasus, Twilight lifted her to her hooves and half dragged, half carried the pegasus to the bed.

“Hey! I have to do this. It’s my job. If I don’t do it I’ll just stay sick! Come on, I’m getting the shakes again. Let me just…oof!”

Twilight had deposited her on the bed while she had been fighting to clean up. What had the fillies said about her? She cleaned because it made her feel like she wasn’t sick? The lavender unicorn could understand that she supposed but the poor pegasus was very ill. She couldn’t clean up herself much less this whole house. “No, just lie there and get under the blankets. You have to sleep. Is there a doctor or medicine or something I can get for you?”

Rainbow had felt tired since her seizures had returned. She needed Sweets soon or they would get worse. She hated when she just woke up in parts of the house kicking on the floor. Sometimes her bladder emptied and that was the worst because then she not only felt miserable but she had more to clean. She decided she could let the unicorn clean up her own mess. Since she was so nice and concerned about Dash’s health then Dash would sleep for an hour or two and then get back to work. It would make her feel better. It just about had to. Doctor? Medicine? Had she never seen someone detoxing…no, she hadn’t. Dash could see that.

An idea came to Dash and she grinned inwardly. “Oh, my medicine. Applejack must have forgotten about it before she left. It’s not her fault, she’s so busy. If you could fetch it, that would be great. When I miss my medicine I get like this. If you can just go get it I would be fine in ten seconds flat.”

Twilight nodded and wondered how anypony could forget something so important as another pony’s medicine. To her, this was a matter of life and death and she was very curious about how potent a medicine it could be to fix a pony in such pitiful shape that quickly. There must have been magic in it. She would get the medicine because it was right and because it was interesting. “Of course I’ll get it. Where do I need to go?”

Dash knew where Applejack kept a gram or two of her Sweets. This goody four hooves unicorn would get it for her. Rainbow threw a hoof over her eyes, leg shaking slightly, and let out a groan. “It’s in Applejack’s office. She keep it in her desk. I think it’s locked, for safety, but you could open it with your magic.” Dash saw doubt in the unicorn’s eyes. Breaking into a locked desk was not something good no matter the reason. She was losing the unicorn’s cooperation. She would have to act fast.

Twilight was deep in debate about whether it was right to open somepony else’s property if it was for good when the pegasus started coughing, a terrible fit of wheezing and hacking. Twilight would have to get the medicine. It was the pegasus’ anyway. It had only been locked to keep it safe. “Okay, I’ll go get it. Just stay still and try to rest.”

Dash’s fit suddenly ended and she lay back comfortably in the bed, pulling the blankets up to her neck. “Oh, thank you, umm, unicorn. Her office is just down the hall, third door on the right. The medicine looks like flour and is in little bags. Just bring one err um, two. That should be fine until she comes back.”

The unicorn didn’t even tell Dash her name before she left. Rainbow leaned back and chuckled to herself. A chill ran down her spine making her shiver all over. The shakes were coming on stronger. She had met that unicorn just in time. She would just close her eyes and try to rest while the unicorn broke into Applejack’s Sweets stash for her.

***

Twilight had found the door unlocked and stuck her head in slowly. An unusual feeling of nervousness was spreading inside her mind. She knew it was wrong to snoop in other pony’s property and kept reminding herself why she was doing it, for that poor sick pegasus. She slipped inside the room and carefully closed the door so as to keep as quiet as possible.

The office was fairly standard, a large room with windows overlooking the farm and curtains hanging on each side. A few file cabinets that looked as if they had been in use for generations sat in one corner of the room. As she made her first few steps into the room, her hooves sank into a thick shag carpet that was covered here and there by an ornately woven rug.

The prominent feature was the desk towards the back of the room. Twilight studied its structure as she carefully crept towards it. The desk was made of thick oak and stained a light cherry color. It was heavy and businesslike and the pony who owned it could immediately take control of the situation as possible clients would be in full view from the moment they entered the room until they were seated in one of high backed leather chairs before the desk. Twilight could tell that the pony that sat behind it was used to giving orders, not taking them. It was odd how much a piece of furniture could reveal about the owner. This desk was large and strong; it had seen hundreds of business deals go down and would most likely see several hundred more. It would outlast the current owner and be used by her successor and perhaps her successor’s successor.

She felt out of place in the room. She was basically breaking into the property of the pony who had rescued her. The lavender mare told herself it was for a good cause and that it wasn’t really a bad thing she was doing. She had to help that poor pegasus. She didn’t want to think what might happen if she failed to retrieve her medicine. Sometimes, she thought, it was all right to do a little bit of a bad thing if it was important enough.

Twilight crept slowly towards the big desk, circling it and pushing the owner’s chair out of the way with her foreleg. The unicorn wanted to get this finished quickly before anypony could catch her trespassing in this room. The last thing she wanted was to be caught and break whatever trust this Applejack had in her. She had left her in her home, cared and provided for, without reason to trust Twilight and she didn’t want to ruin things before she had even met the farm pony.

She heard voices in the hall and felt panic run through her veins, ice coursing her system momentarily. She peeked over the desk, hoping the door would remain shut. The voices moved steadily along the hallway on the outside of the office and she realized it was the fillies talking by their high-pitched voices even though their actual words were too muffled to make out. They were probably taking Spike his breakfast. She hoped they weren’t trying their balancing act out again; poor Rainbow Dash needed to rest.

Twilight exhaled loudly and expelled the panic from her body. She had to hurry; she just wanted this to be over. Ducking her head back below the desktop, the mare attempted to open the drawer with her hoof. It moved only slightly before the latch clacked against the inside of the desk. Locked, just as Dash had said. With a resigning sigh, Twilight looked at the sturdy metal lock. It couldn’t have been that easy, could it?

Twilight had never used her magic for purposes of this nature. She swallowed hard; she wanted to be out of this room. She wanted to clear her conscience of snooping. She would feel so much better once she had the medicine and the blue pegasus was feeling better. It would all be worth it then, but for now she just felt wrong about the whole ordeal. She squinted into the lock and quickly considered what spells might unlock the latch inside. After a moment, her horn glowed and the lock began to make noises within it.

Locks like this were simple, not as complex as the lock on a house or safe. A simple metal latch rested inside the lock that twisted up and down. Twilight thought back to a book she once read about building your own home. There had been a whole chapter on doors and installation, featuring the details of locking mechanisms for separate installations. Twilight knew that almost any book could be useful at one point or another and that one was coming in handy now. Sure enough, after only a few tries the latch inside swiveled and twisted to its unlocked setting.

Twilight felt a little proud of herself for getting the device open so quickly. Her intelligence once again proved itself, but she immediately chided herself for being proud of breaking into somepony else’s desk. The unicorn slowly withdrew the drawer of the desk to reveal its contents.

There were writing utensils, rubber bands, a few paperclips, all organized into segments for quick access and use. Towards the back were tiny pieces of paper for taking little notes, a pair of scissors, a bottle of corn husker’s lotion for sore and damaged hooves. At first she didn’t see the three small bags of powder. They were behind the lotion bottle among a pile of rubber bands and tightly packed to not take up too much room. Seeing these, she smiled and pulled two of them out for inspection.

Twilight had never seen any kind of medicine like this; they looked just like flour. She had expected some sort of bottle or doctor’s note, but after searching the drawer once more, she gave up. Maybe they were naturalistic or something. She had heard of ponies who made their own medicines and shunned modern practices. It seemed odd to her that anypony would risk their health just to stick with archaic traditional practices, but this whole place felt as if it had been passed down for generations. Forsaking modern comforts didn’t seem all that far fetched in the situation. She didn’t want to take any more time than she needed to with this task, but raised the small bags to her eyes one more time for a quick study of their contents.

Twilight hadn’t taken very long in closely looking over the baggie she floated in front of her eyes but she had been concentrating just hard enough to not hear the sound of heavy hoofsteps coming from outside the room. Likewise, she hadn’t noticed the door of the office swing open until an orange earth pony wearing a furious scowl and a stetson angrily demanding an answer.

“What the buck’re ya doin’ in mah office, unico-wern?”

***

For a moment Twilight was stunned into silence, she was caught red hooved prowling through another pony's personal property. She knew she shouldn't have done this and now she had most likely ruined any chance of friendship with the ponies that lived there. She felt ashamed of herself, but that was only a side note compared to the cold stone weighing down her stomach. The mare, wide-eyed, tried to speak but only stammered out an unintelligible string of partial words.

The orange mare didn't seem to thrilled about not getting a solid answer and stepped towards the desk, outrage taking over her voice. "Ah said, WHAT THE BUCK ARE YA DOIN' IN HERE?"

The unicorn attempted to speak once more and Applejack could see the panic in her eyes. Yes, she had been caught and now she didn't know what to do. The cow-mare loved that look in her enemies' eyes. She particularly enjoyed it right after the first blows had landed or pieces had been cut loose. Maybe the purple intruder knew what Applejack did to ponies who crossed her. The room containing her "trophies" was just behind the unicorn, locked, but the key was inside the desk drawer that the mare had opened. It was possible the unicorn bitch had already investigated the trophy room. Applejack wanted a new trophy. She wanted to carve the horn from her purple head and stick it to a wall. She had so few unicorn trophies. And, if she took this new one, Canterlot spies would think twice about messing with the Apples.

Applejack's mind was going a mile a minute. Images of hammers and saws and wonderful hoof-crushing devices danced in her mind's eye. She snorted and, for the moment, pushed those thoughts away. She couldn't act on her emotions just yet; too much was at stake. Applejack had already had lots of questions to ask and now, after finding the unicorn in her office, she had more. While this prevented any violence at the moment, the unicorn better have some good answers, or it would be inevitable.

She suspected the unicorn had come from Canterlot, but why? Canterlot had never taken any interest in Applejack's business before, but if this unicorn was a spy then she would be looking for evidence. And, after all, Applejack had walked in on the purple mare snooping through her desk and magically searching a pair of bags containing Sweets. Applejack's initial anger was somewhat displaced by nervousness. If she was getting evidence against the Apple Family, then she would have to be done away with, preferably painfully, but that would probably bring many questioning officials in search of the purple mare. On the other hoof, Applejack wouldn't just let her take the evidence back to Canterlot. She wasn't sure what to do about the situation but, for the moment, she needed answers. She would talk to the purple unicorn and try to glean some information from her.

Applejack glared at the unicorn with malice, but the quivering mare wasn't answering. Rage swelled within her again. AJ's mind was a crimson engine and the steam busting from it was fogging her clarity. She did not take well to not being answered. Her vision shifted slightly to the windows overlooking the farm. She could easily smash the purple bitch's head through the glass and then rake her face across the jagged remains of the pane. It would be a lot of fun. The unicorn would surely speak then. She would scream whatever Applejack wanted to hear.

Maybe she could just bucking kill her. Buck Canterlot. Whatever they tried to do the Apples could fight back. AJ closed the distance, her vision reddening and an evil smirk curling her lips at the sides. A quick clack against the head to stun her and then smash, right through the window. The purple mare's involuntary start at Applejack's quick movement only added to the cow-mare's feeling of twisted delight. Oh it was going to be so much fun.

No.

Applejack fought for control. She was smarter than this. She couldn't let her anger get the better of her. If she wasn't in control, then she would lose ultimately. She had the Family to think about. She had Apple Bloom to think about.

The ire building up in Applejack fought viciously for control as she tried to suppress it. However, she was finally able to push the hatred away and reduce the venom enough to speak clearly, but sternly. "Listen, Ah want some answers. Ah'm gonna ask one more time, nicely, and Ah expect you to talk back ta me. Unico-wern, what are ya doin' in mah office goin' through mah things?"

Twilight dropped the bags of medicine on the stalwart desk and finally words came to her when she attempted to speak. The orange earth pony sounded calmer than before, but Twilight was certain that, underneath the veil, she was seething. "I came in here to get that sick pegasus' medicine. I apologize for the intrusion of your personal space, but she was so sick and said you had forgotten to give her medicine to her, if you are Applejack, I mean."

What the buck was she going on about? Medicine? The unicorn had indicated the bags of Sweets when she spoke about medicine and Applejack listened closely to her words. Applejack kept telling herself she hadn't gotten where she was by following her emotions blindly. Sometimes one had to use caution and planning rather than force. The unicorn either had come up with a good lie on the spot or she was telling the truth. Unfortunately, Applejack didn't know which to believe. A well placed white hot needle could change that ... No, she still had to resist such urges.

She didn't give away any information about whether or not she believed what the unicorn had said. She had to play along and summoning all of her energy pushed the dark thoughts to the back of her mind long enough to play nice. She wasn't exactly a talented actress but sometimes she got lucky. "Yeah, Ah'm Applejack. Ah'm the one that pulled you from those hooligans out in the dead orchards. So ya met Rainbow Dash? An' she asked ya to come get her medicine from mah desk?"

That did sound like something Dash would do. She knew better than to be caught stealing anything. Sneaking around like the cowardly worm she now was. Applejack was confident that Dash had played up her weakness and begged Scootaloo into aiding the skinny blue pegasus in getting extra food. Dash was more valuable to her alive than dead and so she had let it go without much investigation. It might be time to change that. Rainbow, once her rival, had been under her hoof for a long while. Having the hope of Ponyville as a slave showed her strength.

Rainbow had been respected for her prowess and attitude for years and had amassed a large following of ponies in her prime. They had cheered for her against Applejack in their various contests before things had changed. Now all those ponies saw who was in control. Rainbow was just a servant...a slave, not only to Applejack, but to the Sweets. She was an addict of the worst type and had thrown her physical beauty and condition away for the Sweets that Applejack sold. She had lost everything to the orange mare, even her freedom. She couldn't be without her Sweets for long periods of time and Applejack controlled what she needed. AJ was her master now.

"Yes, well, she told me where her medicine was. I asked her if she needed anything. She could hardly stand when she came into my room to clean a mess the three fillies accidentally made. I didn't know what to do, but I couldn't let her work when she was so ill. Please understand, I wasn't going through your things like a thief...like those ponies you saved me from." The unicorn's gaze, for the most part, stayed locked into Applejack's green probing eyes only flicking down occasionally in shame.

The stetson wearing earth pony read every action the unicorn made as she gauged what might be truth and what might be falsified. She didn't know how much training, if any, the lavender mare may have received, but AJ had lots of practice in reading body language. The way the unicorn kept eye contact and only drooped instead of looking to the corners of the room told AJ that she was ashamed, which meant she wasn't used to doing things of this nature. She had been and still was scared, which, of course, was consistent with the unicorn's trouble getting her words to come out. Applejack could be quite imposing.

Applejack's senses were telling her the unicorn was telling the truth, but she couldn't be sure and she needed to be. She would play along for now until she could check the situation. She could cross check Rainbow Dash's story for validity. She wanted to talk more with the unicorn, find out what she was doing here, but first things first. She would find Rainbow and find out what she knew. If she had put the unicorn up to stealing, she would regret it.

"Mah stars, Ah've been so rude. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, Miss...?" The angry disposition seemed to melt and was replaced with kindness as she waited for the unicorn to introduce herself.

The unicorn breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sheepishly towards the earth pony. She had understood, how great. She didn't seem mad about the situation now and Twilight was glad she hadn't ruined everything already. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I was on my way to Hoofington when my balloon crashed into that dead part of the forest. I am most happy to make your acquaintance, Applejack, right?"

Applejack smiled brightly on the exterior, inside she still scrutinized every action the pony made. Be nice, gain her trust, get the information. If this bitch came to spy she wouldn't leave alive. For now, make nice and learn. "Yeah, Applejack. Owner and proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres. This here has been mah family's farm for generations and we grow the finest apples in Equestria. Yer landin' here was fortunate, Ah suppose. If y'all had landed in Ponyville things would most likely have turned out worse. It's a fine mess in these here parts. Ah'm glad to meet ya, Twilight, but can I ask ya ta wait just a little bit longer before we really get to talkin'? I've got a couple more business errands and then we can talk up a storm."

Twilight wondered what was wrong in Ponyville and disliked being delayed again, but Applejack was her best bet in getting back on track with her task. She would bear another delay without sounding petulant or annoyed. The country mare had taken her in after all. "That's understandable. I'll just take this medicine to Rainbow Dash and make sure she gets to feeling better while I wait."

"No, I insist on delivering her medicine mahself. Ah can't believe Ah done run off and fergot it this mornin'. Ah should really be the one to make sure she gets it." She put on her best look of empathy and sadness for forgetting the important task and carefully took the twin bags of 'medicine' from Twilight. She would make sure Rainbow was taken care of all right. She would do it personally. She had a lot of aggression pent up.

Twilight kept smiling and admired the orange mare for taking responsbility for forgetting the medicine. She had forgotten, which was bad, but she was busy and sometimes things could slip a pony's mind. "That's nice you look after her, but she is really ill. Has she seen a doctor about her disease? I'm no doctor, but I know a good deal of magic. Maybe I could try and help her?"

"She'll be fine, Twilight. She looks bad, and is honestly, but it's not somethin' anypony can really do much about. She needs ta take better care of herself; it's all mental. Her body'd recover if her mind would let it." Applejack told half truths to the mare. Rainbow would recover if she laid off the Sweets, which had started out as a mental addiction, but had grown to physical dependency. She could still get off the drug and get well, but Applejack doubted it would be of her own volition and she wasn't going to help Dash along the way. Dash was property now and Applejack would keep her ex-rival/friend until she succumbed to the drugs and expired, if only to prove she could beat the Rainbow bitch ultimately and in the most degrading manner.

"Oh...how sad. I wish I could help, maybe I could..."

"She has ta do it by herself or she'll just do it again, Twilight. Ah've helped her for a long time now an' done what Ah could but in tha end she has to do it fer herself or she'll never get over it completely. Ah appreciate you wantin' ta help her, but leavin' her ta help herself is probably the best thing ya can do. This medicine is supposed to alleviate tha side effects and make her feel more confident. Someday she'll snap outta tha mental uh...funk she's in and get better."

"Okay then...I guess I'll just look around the farm, if that's okay." Twilight was interested in the farm. She wanted to see how the apples grew and what kind of care went into their production. It would be a good way to pass time while she waited. She liked tours of how things worked. Her analytical mind always asked how and why and thirsted for knowledge.

Applejack didn't like her idea much; if the Canterlot mare discovered the secret lab underneath the barn or any of the greenhouses, camouflaged as storage buildings, then the unicorn woud have to be killed regardless of who she was. Then again, AJ wouldn't have to play these stupid games anymore if she did find them. STOP! She chided herself for leting her emotions interrupt again.

AJ didn't want to seem against allowing her to explore the farm, it would be suspicious. She would have to let the mare look around, but she could make sure she had guides that would keep her from stumbling across certain areas. "Sure thing Sugarcube, Ah'll get you some guides. Y'all already met mah sister Apple Bloom and her friends. They should be done with their mornin' chores and ya'd be hard pressed ta find a better tour guide than Apple Bloom. Like us, she's mighty proud a' this farm. It'd make her day ta show y'all around. You and yer little dragon friend."

Twilight nodded, getting excited about seeing the farm, especially since Apple Bloom had already proved to be proud of her family's business. She would likely know intimate details about apple production. "If she's not busy, I would love if they could show me around."

"It's settled then, Ah'll call them girls and y'all can spend the next few hours roaming the orchards and seein' what makes this place tick. Ah'll be done with business by the time ya get back an' we can sit down and have a good conversation. If ya want to wait downstairs in the kitchen, Ah'll round up them girls."

Applejack escorted the unicorn to the door and directed her to the kichen. Playing nice was a bother and was putting strain on her to stay in character. Typically she would have had Big Mac hold her still while Aj made her answer her questions with violence and slowly increasing pain, but she couldn't yet. She didn't want to get Canterlot on her bad side, if that's where this mare had come from. She couldn't afford any more problems at the moment. She watched the mare begin her descent of the stairs and remembered Rainbow Dash suddenly, "Oh, Twilight! Where didja say Rainbow was?"

***

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep in the comfortable bed, snuggling into the pillows and feeling warm and cozy under the thick wool blankets. Her body, for the time, had ceased its trembling and was allowing the mare a short reprieve. She could almost feel how good the sleep was for her body. She hadn't slept this well in a while.

Her bedding was typically old burlap sacks in an old apple storage room on the basement level of the house. It was kept naturally cool by being built under ground level. This meant she was chilled often and the burlap sacks did little to fight the natural coolness. It was also a bad room in which to have withdrawal. Well, every room was a bad room for withdrawal, but the cold cement floor made her shiver when she was tanked up on Sweets and it only added to the convulsions and misery of full-on withdrawal symptoms.

Her body ate the warmth and comfort as it waited, assured by the unicorn that it would have Sweets soon. All the sick feelings and weakness would soon be at an end; she just had to wait.

The door opened and closed to the guest room and Rainbow's body awoke expecting Sweets. She rolled over and spoke as she rubbed her eyes with her hooves, blinding her vision for a moment. "Oh, thank you...I didn't quite catch your name, but let me have my medicine and you can tell me all about yourself."

"Well, mah name's Applejack an' I found out ya were sending that unico-wern to get yer 'medicine' fer ya. Well, I got yer medicine right here." Applejack's voice sounded sweet for a moment and then changed drastically. She had made sure Apple Bloom and her fiends, who AJ had instructed to keep Twilight away from certain parts of the farm, were on their way before coming to confront the blue pegasus.

Applejack was almost aroused by the sudden change that came over Rainbow Dash. The pegasus immediately began to cringe and the look she gave, oh it was beautiful. So full of fear and shock. It brought a wretched smirk to Applejack's face.

"AJ! No! I didn't send her to do anything. She came up with the idea. She said...umm..." Rainbow was caught and she knew it. She tried to come up with an excuse, but her mind as groggy from withdrawal and very little sleep. It didn't cooperate even with the adrenaline rushing through her system.

The blue pegasus yelped as Applejack yanked her from the bed effortlessly.

"Shut yer trap, Dash. You admitted yer guilt before Ah said anything. Yaknow what's gonna happen dontcha?" Applejack slapped the side of the weaker pony's face hard, leaving it red and painful. "Stealin' is what Ah told ya ta never do and now you've gone and done it. Ah've killed a lot of ponies fer it, Dash. A whole lot. Why shouldn't Ah do the same ta y'all?" She looked the miserable Rainbow mare in the eyes, locking her with the anger that had been building like a fire inside her since she found out some other pony was cutting into her sales. Things were going wrong and she was going to get out some aggression.

"Because...because we're friends, right AJ? You...you take care of me." Dash was scared badly. She never used to know fear, but now it could freeze her in place or make her beg. Usually when her Sweets were denied. That was where it had started after all. Fear of being without her drugs.

"Do friends steal from each other?" AJ brought her hoof across Dash's face again, inciting a squeal and causing her nose to spill a stream of blood down her chin to dribble across her bony chest.

"No! I'm sorry, Applejack. Don't hit me!" Rainbow barely got the words out before being slapped again. "Agh!"

"I take care of ya, Rainbow. I give ya a place to stay and yer Sweets. I provide food and everything else fer ya and now ya use a guest in mah house to steal Sweets fer ya? You can walk down to the cellar er ya can get dragged an' ya better not bleed all over the carpet on the way down." Applejack released her grip on the pegasus and butted her towards the door. "GIT VARMINT!"

***

If anypony had been on the basement level of the farm house they would have heard, for nearly a quarter of an hour, what sounded like wet meat being packed densely, whimpers, and cries of anguish. The beating that Dash recieved from Applejack's tough hooves was meant as a warning. Very possibly it was the only warning the blue pegasus would get. Applejack had made it crystal clear that she didn't appreciate the underhanded way that Dash had tried to acquire her drugs. The next time it happened would most likely be the last.

Rainbow Dash lay trembling on the concrete of the cellar, freezing, hurting, and needing her fix; she lay crying where Applejack had finally stopped hitting her. Her nose and lip were bleeding and she was almost certain one of her ribs had been cracked judging from the incredible aching in her side. Even slight motions rippled pain through that whole side of her body. She had been forced to beg for forgiveness and had kissed Applejack's hooves as a sign of apology, her lips smearing the blood that Applejack had drawn with them. Her body was sore and she was too weak to crawl to her burlap bedding so she just lay still and hoped to pass out. Applejackwas cruel but fate was much worse.

She ended up thinking. The worst part had been Applejack refusing to give her any of the Sweets she needed for another two days. Two days was a long time when detoxing and it meant long, terrible seizures and agony as her body would begin to cramp and plead for the drugs it needed to function correctly. She remembered when Applejack was not a cruel creature. They had been such good friends.

It had been a long time ago, before Sweet Apple Acres had almost gone under. They had always been rivals, as they were the height of physical standards of their races. They were both stubborn and headstrong, which led to both friendly quarreling and physical forms of solving problems. Not fights, but challenges such as racing or hoof-wrestling. They were friendly competitions, although the winner would brag openly to stir a new bout of contests in the near future. They knew each other well enough to rub just the right amount into each others' wounds.

Applejack was stern and strong, more powerful than any earth pony mare Rainbow had ever seen. She pushed Rainbow to new heights of physical limits and made her a better mare because of it. Rainbow had been the closest competitor that the orange mare had ever had.

Rainbow had loved Applejack, but couldn't say it. She had loved everything they had done together but mostly loved just her company. The way she took on problems head on as if nothing could stop her made Dash shiver with excitement. Confident and beautiful, Applejack had stolen Dash's heart whether the cow-mare knew it or not. Because Applejack had never hinted at her own sexuality, Dash worried AJ would take offense or distance herself from the pegasus if she admitted her true feelings and so she had been forced to settle on friendship. Dash had done her best to be the best friend she could be and they had been nearly inseparable, except for the occasional taunt, challenge, and contest, until the Flim Flam Brothers' machine had just about brought an end to the farm.

Rainbow had helped in every way she could to save the farm. She couldn't sit idly by as the pony she cared most for's business died. The Apples would have lost everything and Rainbow would most likely have never seen Applejack again. Even when Applejack had suggested a new crop to sell, Dash had been right there to back her up.

Dash had helped clear the dead trees and build the green houses. She had been part of the Family then. She saw the desperation in all of the Family and did what was necessary to keep them going. She never regretted that time, even while she watched the happy orange mare become more and more bitter. She didn't blame her for the change. They had all been through a lot, but Applejack had shouldered the burden the most. If the farm failed it would have destroyed her, driven her mad or destroyed the spirit that Dash loved so much.

The farm had been saved, but Rainbow had watched in horror as the Apple Family changed, becoming more and more violent in order to keep competitors out of Ponyville. It pained her so much to see Applejack behave so drastically different that she searched for another way to supplement the Apples' income.

Dash had always wanted to be a Wonderbolt and had tried out before, but had been too young to make the team. She was in the prime of her life this time and the incredible income that the flying group paid its members would vastly improve the farm. They might be able to have fresh soil brought in and replace all the dead trees with the money. Dash could restore Applejack as an apple farmer again, not a drug lord.

Dash trained hard for months and had put on her best performance of her life at the next try out. She had performed a sonic rainboom as her finale and was confident that she had made the team. She would use the money to help Applejack get her farm back to normal and maybe after the old Applejack had returned, she would finally tell her why she had done it all. All for her, because Rainbow Dash loved her.

And then she had been rejected from the Wonderbolts.

Just like that all the training and planning and hoping Rainbow had done for the pony that made her smile meant nothing. She had failed. The next try out wasn't for several years and in that time her beloved Applejack would become a monster.

She wouldn't be able to bring the farm back. Applejack was going to become darker as she did more and more terrible crimes in order to maintain her business. Everything would continue in the wrong direction and never return. The sorrow and failure had brought Rainbow Dash home to Sweet Apple Acres as a loser.

Time had lost some of its meaning, but at some point during the weeks that followed her rejection, Rainbow Dash had begun to use Sweets. She had failed the pony she loved and the drugs made her forget how much of a loser she was and the path Sweet Apple Acres had taken.

Life had become a blur at that point. She had scarcely been able to recall time well since then. She wished, as she lay on the cold floor, that she could go back and change it all. It would have been better if the farm had failed. She would have been there for Applejack and taken care of her. She would have gone with her and helped her build a new life until Sweet Apple Acres was just a memory. They could had started a new life and, even if Dash never worked up the courage to tell Applejack how she felt, at least she wouldn't have become a monster.

Dash sometimes wanted to leave. Sometimes she thought about it, but she still cared too much for the pony that now hurt her and treated her more like a slave than a friend. She couldn't see her life without Applejack.

Or the Sweets.

***

Twilight, Spike, and the fillies explored the farm for hours. The sun had begun its descent and evening was on them before they returned to the farmhouse. Twilight and Spike's tour of the farm had been educational and the young Apple Bloom had been eager to tell everything she knew about horticulture and farm work. She had spoken at length about the different kinds of apples they grew, and used to grow before some great catastrophe that had left much of Sweet Apple Acres in ruin. Somehow the farm ponies still stayed afloat with the few orchards that remained and Twilight had spent several hours seeing each and every tree. As boring as this would have been to most ponies (and Spike, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had seemed more than thankful when the tour ended), Twilight had enjoyed every moment. Farming was a new field for the lavender unicorn and she had learned a great deal.

Twilight, Spike, and the fillies had barely let the door shut behind them before a green earth pony with a short purple mane and a crowbar cutie mark had come downstairs to inform them that Applejack was waiting in her office for Twilight.

Spike had started up the stairs with her, but the earth pony, JackSlap, had stopped the dragon and told him that Applejack had told him to escort only the unicorn. Spike argued for a moment, but was calmed down by Twilight. She and Applejack had made plans to talk mare to mare. Spike would get his chance to meet their benefactor later.

Twilight knocked lightly on the door and was invited inside. She came up to the desk, smiling at the orange mare on the other side who, likewise, returned the smile. Twilight was overjoyed the whole mess this morning had been cleared up and she took a seat in front of the expensive desk.

Applejack's fury had been mostly dispelled through Rainbow Dash's punishment, but she still didn't like the unicorn in front of her. She might not ever like her. She had caused far too many problems in the short time she had been here. However, AJ still played the role of a nice, caring pony and did her best to appear genuinely happy for their time to talk. "Ah trust ya had a good tour of th' farm? Ah hope Apple Bloom didn't go inta too much detail. She can be a might talkative on the subject."

"Oh no, it was very interesting and she knows a lot about your business. She was a very effective tour guide. Thank you so much for letting me look around. It was very informative." Twilight was genuinely thankful. She had completely forgotten about her mission to achieve the magic of friendship while discovering the agricultural accomplishments of the Apple Family farmers

Applejack studied the unicorn and thought about the words she used. Informative. Was she trying to hint she knew more than the tour was meant to show her? Applejack decided to try a little innuendo. She could drop little hints as well. "Ah'm very glad ya took such interest in us farm folk. It's not often we get Canterlot ponies out here ta our neck a' the woods."

The happy smile only broadened Twilight's face. If Applejack knew she was from Canterlot maybe she was used to doing business with Canterlot. If she knew ponies there, it would make getting back on track easier. She was curious what had given it away, though, and curiosity got the better of the unicorn. "How did you know I was from Canterlot, Applejack? It's amazing you knew that so quickly."

AJ grinned to herself; Twilight was playing cat and mouse with her. Throw some attractive cheese out, take a nibble, and wham! Dead mouse! Twilight wouldn't bait AJ so easily. "Oh, Ah'm good at readin' ponies, Twi. In my business, ya have to be."

Twilight thought that the ability to read others would be a great skill to have if she were to become a dignitary or ambassador. She had previously thought that maybe that was why Princess Celestia had sent her out to explore the magic of friendship. If that was a skill involved in friendship, then it would be really handy.

Twilight had gone off in thought for a moment and caught herself. She sort of stuttered slightly as she snapped out of the world of her own thoughts. "O-Oh, I see. That must be a great skill. I bet it helps you a lot in the business world."

"More than ya'd expect, Twi. A lot more'n ya'd expect." AJ was taking control. She could feel it. She had caught the mare off-guard. She would start to understand now that there was more to Applejack than a sturdy frame and drug trafficking. There was intelligence, too. Canterlot high falutin' officials always thought they were the smartest ponies in Equestria; well, now this one was finding out that country ponies weren't all dumb. "How'd ya end up down here in Ponyville, Twi? Ponies like you don't come down this way too often."

"Well, I'm Princess Celestia's star pupil. She gave every one of her students a special assignment. A test of sorts. My assignment was to go to Hoofington and discover the Magic of Friendship. It's an important task and, as much as I have enjoyed meeting you and appreciate the help you gave us, I really should get in contact with the Princess and be on my way to Hoofington." Twilight spoke with a burning pride of being the Princess' prized pupil. She would have to keep that information to herself in Hoofington or ponies might pretend to like her just because of her role. She needed real friendships, but telling Applejack would probably only speed up the process of getting to Hoofington. Sometimes dropping names could get you better reactions.

Applejack was torn between believing the mare and striking her for such a boast. If the unicorn thought she could walk into Sweet Apple Acres, lose her cover as a spy, and then drop a name like Princess Celestia to frighten Applejack out of killing her, she was wrong. No pony would be stupid enough to believe something like that. Magic of Friendship? Yeah, right!

On the other hoof...Applejack thought hard about the information. Twilight had seemed honest and proud to say she was the Princess' student. She didn't seem nervous at all when she said that. Damn. Applejack could discern lies from ponies who owed her money, but they weren't hard to figure out. Even if they weren't lying, the results were the same. Scare them, warn them, or kill them. This Twilight unicorn was harder to read. What if she was telling the truth? "So, uh, Twilight. Yer balloon crashed here on yer way to Hoofington? How come ya were flyin' so low over Ponyville? Dontcha know how dangerous it is? Y'all were just askin' fer trouble."

Twilight's cheeks reddened and she broke eye contact, an embarassed look crossing her face. "Well, I...sometimes I get lost in thought. It's kind of a bad habit of mine. I didn't know Spike and I were so low to the ground. I guess it was good though, if the balloon had popped higher up there might have been more damage done. It was so weird it just popped like that."

Could she be serious? Did she really think her balloon just popped? It had to be a trick. Applejack found herself doubting that, however. Maybe she really didn't mean to be here. Still, the risk was high. If Twilight was making herself look innocent just to run back to Canterlot with information, it would spell doom for Sweet Apple Acres. "Yer balloon didn't pop, Twi. It was shot down."

"Shot down?" Twilight looked confused and shocked. She couldn't process that somepony would willingly bring the balloon down. Those ponies who had been stealing from the wreckage, they couldn't be so mean as to have shot down a balloon with ponies in it...could they?

"Like Ah said, Ponyville's dangerous."

"But..." The lavender mare looked away, she had never thought one pony could actively try to hurt another one. Applejack had to be wrong. She was mistaken; that was it. She had come along just in time to see...those two earth ponies holding a hoofgun to her head. Twilight raised her eyes suddenly to Applejack. Tears were forming in the unicorn's eyes and beginning to spill down her cheeks. She was looking for comfort, doubt, anything to say that Applejack wasn't serious, but she found no consolation in the hard green eyes into which she imploringly gazed. ApppleJack was serious. Those ponies had shot the balloon down. That's why Spike and she had heard pops before the balloon began to fall. They didn't care if Twilight and Spike had died or not. It was too much for a pony who had known nothing but love and happiness. She simply could not understand it. Tears poured down her cheeks and suddenly she felt very afraid. "They...they really tried to...kill us?"

Applejack was stunned by this display. The unicorn she was almost certain was a Canterlot spy had broken down and started crying right in front of her. Why? Because she found out two of the hoodlum gang members of Ponyville had shot down her balloon while they were flying overhead? More and more Applejack was beginning to believe what Twilight was saying. The mare was weak. It was a game of who has the most power, and this unicorn had started crying right in the middle of it. No Royal Guard would have broken down and cried. Maybe Twilight really was a student in Canterlot. Just a scholar, used to the pleasantries of a city free of Sweets addiction and wealthy enough to support the happiness of the ponies who lived there. She knew nothing of hard times or desperate situations.

For a brief moment, Applejack remembered how she used to be. She used to always be nice and helpful. Ponyville used to be as good as Canterlot, not as big but just as good. Its ponies had lived in a community, not a warzone. She remembered the desperation and uncertainty and how it had made her feel. She cried herself to sleep often in those first weeks, after all the hard work she had done to keep the farm alive had failed. Twilight had now been forced to see a different world. A world that didn't give a buck about anypony.

Applejack was swept up in the moment. She identified with the sobbing unicorn. In a snapshot of who she used to be Applejack, she stood up and walked around the desk, laying a foreleg across the unicorn. She hadn't felt empathy in such a long time that her defenses fell away and she lost herself to the moment. "There there, Twi. It's all right. Come on now; ya can stay another night here with us. We'll talk tomorrow and figure out what ta do about yer assignment."

Twilight looked sadly at the earth pony and leaned against her. How could a town be so evil? Was the whole town this way? It couldn't possibly be...Applejack was helping her and had been nothing but kind. Maybe there was still hope for it. She couldn't think about it now; she was still overwhelmed at the attempt on her life over the balloon she rode. She felt terribly tired suddenly and she lay her head onto Applejack's shoulder and renewed her sobbing.

Twilight was escorted to the same room in which she had slept before and crawled into bed. She felt so tired and stressed that sleep came easily to her. Sometimes a mind needs to sleep so the subconcious can deal with the hard facts of life. Twilight's mind took her away to a happy dream, while her subconcious mind interpreted and made the concious mind able to deal with what had happened. Twilight would sleep long into the next day before her mind would be at ease enough to wake her up.

***

Applejack was furious with herself. How could she be so weak? She hadn't felt so sympathetic in years. She had trained herself to never feel that way towards another pony again. Or she thought she had.

The orange earth pony paced across her office. She had told Twilight she would help her get underway to Hoofington tomorrow. Buck. She should just march into the guest room and strangle the pathetic unicorn in her sleep. That damn unicorn had stirred her emotions and made her remember when she had friends and things were different. She couldn't afford to feel that way. She couldn't afford a lot of things right now. Twilight might still be a spy and this whole situation a device to escape Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres. Although she now seriously doubted that, Applejack couldn't let her leave the next day. If she really was a student of Celestia's, she might talk about the "medicine" she had gotten for Rainbow Dash and Celestia was probably not as stupid as the uncorn had been.

She would have to reneg on her deal, but how? She could just murder the unicorn. Grind her up, throw her into a ditch, and be done with her. BUCK! No, not if she really was a student of Celestia. That pompous bitch would definitely send Canterlot officials out to find out what happened to the unicorn if she went missing.

Applejack let out a frustrated sigh and kicked over one of the chairs in her office. She didn't need these feelings anymore. She didn't need this problem on top of everything else. She just wanted money and safety for her Family. Damn that Twilight Sparkle. Applejack would make an excuse to keep her here until she could be sure of how to handle her. But, what?

Hoofington, Magic of Friendship, such shit! As if friendship had any kind of magic. As if friendship could just make things magically all right. Just pick up all the broken lives of Ponyville and...what if friendship could help the ponies of Ponyville? Twilight could do her research into friendship magic right here! She could stay with Applejack for safe-keeping and make "friends" with all the ponies on the farm. Hopefully that would keep the little scholar busy until AJ could figure out a better way to deal with her.

Applejack grinned to herself. It was perfect. As of tomorrow, Twilight Sparkle would start making friends with all of the Apple Family.

Comments

[jmj]

In a hurry here. On vacation and we were supposed to be out doing the whole site seeing thing ummm....3 hours ago. Working on a tablet and maaaaan is it hard to edit and post with this thing. Spent the last hour just posting the story piece by piece because the tablet can't handle over about 3000 words at a time. Fun times. If there's any typoes or weird places in this chapter it's because of the hassle that tablet has given me. Hope you enjoy this one, I thought there was a pretty good chunk of drama in it.

Sorry about the length, couldn't cut this one any shorter.

[Silent Breeze]

Appledash? Eh, I guess it works if one of em doesn't care/know.
Applejack sure is a sneaky devil. Wonder if Twilight will want to visit the city.

[Gypsy Twister]

The plot thickens... how are you so brilliant?!?! Simply amazing once more. Keep it up

[MellowMabari]

This makes everything even more tragic! Normally I love Appledash, but how can AJ be so cruel? All Dash wanted was to help her. I know the Apples fell on hard times and all, but still, slowly murdering one of your closest friends? I really don't have much sympathy for her. If she had been pressured into her cruelty by someone else, maybe I'd feel a little more empathy. She had choices, and she decided to throw out her humanity (equinity?) instead.

Although, I am still hoping AJ can redeem herself. If Twilight stays maybe she can help everyone. Oh, and as for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle - I'm rooting for Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle seems like a bit of a jerk, and at least Scoots still cares for people, cares for Rainbow, even though she's not really herself anymore. I think it was in a Harry Potter book where Dumbledore said, "Judge a person not on how they treat their equals, but on how they treat their lessers," or something like that.

So yeah, rambling aside, I really hope everyone can get better, but I'm especially hoping that Dash can get her act together and break out of the abusive servant/master relationship thing she has going with AJ. Also, I really like how no one character is too cut and dry - Twilight is obviously good, but her naivete has already tripped her up on several occasions. On the flip side, that same characteristic might also help pull the mane 6 together in this ghetto-tastic version of Ponyville. Also, I love long stories, so count me in for the rest of it! Onward!

[Asashi - Dark Fist Inari]

So the Flim Flam's started it all?

[Angry Ramen]

Yanno, this a really unique version of ponyville I haven't seen before.

I'm not active in the fandom anymore beyond checking up on old stories I got into years ago that are still updating (looking at you, twilight's secret journal) but this sucked me in.

It almost makes me sad this was never finished.